When you and I collide
by cornflakesareglutenfree
Summary: Post Canon AU - Our story begins in Aug/Sept 2013, when Kurt and Dave run into each other in NYC, and Kurt is shocked to discover that Dave has transferred to NYU to play Hockey. Flirting and blushing ensue like mad.
1. Chapter 1

**~o0o~o0o~o0o~**

_Anonymous Prompted: A walk through central park – Kurtofsky_

**~o0o~o0o~o0o~**

One of his dorm mates had just tossed him the frisbee when there was a gust of wind, blowing it slightly off course, and Kurt dodged to catch it when suddenly there was somebody there, and the frisbee smacked into the person's head.

"Oof! What the-"

"Oh my God, are you okay? What were you thinking? Walking right into a frisbee game? I mean, are you alright? Your head, you..." The guy looked up just and Kurt trailed off, dumbstruck. "David?"

Dave was holding his head, calling himself a dozen kinds of a moron, walking around reading on his phone. What had he been thinking? But there was something familiar about that voice, and then he looked up, and he froze. "Kurt?"

Kurt had been wary to touch a complete stranger, but realizing that it was David, _his _David from high school, he reached forward, laying his hand on the side of a broad cheek, turning his face to better see the red spot where the frisbee had impacted. "It doesn't look too bad. Are you okay? You didn't answer me."

Dave was just staring at Kurt still, shocked at his sudden appearance in the park where Dave walked every day, heading to his part time job at a hot dog cart on the other side of this hill. "I- I'm fine. I gotta go, I have work, but... it was nice to see you, Kurt. Sorry about messing up your game."

Dave started to walk away, having waved to the group of guys in apology, and Kurt started to panic. "Wait! David!" It was like time replaying in his mind, how many times had David walked away from him just like this? Only this time David stopped, turning around with a raised eyebrow. Kurt choked back emotion at the head rush from such a simple difference. "Wait. Here, gimme your phone." He held out his hand for the phone David still held.

Dave looked down at Kurt's hand, then at his phone, and mechanically handed it over, confused. He watched as Kurt entered his information and called himself, giving them each other's number. "There. Now you can't disappear again." He reached forward with the phone, eyes full of hope and something else. "Don't be a stranger."

Dave nodded, smiling bashfully, unable to fight the blush that flooded his cheeks as he turned away to head to the cart.

Kurt watched him, feeling his own cheeks heating, and went back to the game, bracing himself for the jokes his friends would make. Sure enough, as soon as he re-joined them, his roommate elbowed him. "Nice. If you don't use his number, I want it."

Kurt blushed even harder. "He's a friend from high school. And no, you can't have his number." he glanced over his shoulder to the path where David had disappeared, finding a knowing look on his friend's face. "Shut up."

"Suuurrreee..."

Kurt ducked his head, cracking a small grin and thinking that surely his cheeks would stay red forever at this rate.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

"Hello?"

"Dave? Hi, it's Kurt."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You um... you put your name in my phone, remember?"

"Oh yeah. So hey, I was wondering..."

"Um..."

"Oh, sorry! I dropped my phone. Anyways. There's this thing that my roommate invited me to, and I won't know anybody there, and it's fine if you're busy or something, but I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go with me, and it's this saturday afternoon."

"Yeah, I'm free after two, so that sounds fine. What's going on?"

"That sounds great. I'm at NYU, at Carlyle Court, but my roommate was invited to a party at Gramercy Green, and wants backup, but I know he's gonna ditch me within minutes, so I was just thinking maybe you'd come with me. We could meet somewhere-"

"Actually, I live at the Greenwich Hotel, and I have practice at the Chelsea Piers until around one, then I'll head home to shower and drop off my stuff, so I could just meet you at your place, since it's on the way, if you want."

"Oh.. wait! You go to NYU? Since when?"

"Haha.. Yeah, I transferred last semester, mainly for the hockey, but it's way nicer here than Ohio State."

"Yeah, no kidding. So yeah, if you wanna just come by whenever you're done, and call me so I can come down and let you in, that would be great!"

"Awesome. I'll see you then."

"Bye!"

"Bye."

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Dave hadn't known what to wear, and so he decided to go with his standard, graphic t-shirt under his favorite red and white button up, the short sleeves rolled up once since they didn't fit very well over his biceps. His jeans were loose, but fit him, which was all that really mattered. He did switch out his sneakers for his brown leather shoes, though. He hadn't ever really spent time with Kurt before, but was sure that scuffed up athletic shoes at a party were a no-no.

It took about half an hour, but he made it to Kurt's building at a little after two, texting him from a block away, and Kurt came down to meet him, roommate in tow, introducing him to a guy who looked vaguely familiar, and Kurt explained that he'd been the one to throw the fateful frisbee the other day. His name was Sherman, and he apologized profusely, taking Dave's arm and announcing that if neither of them had success with their own dates, they'd have to go home together. Dave had stuttered and been about to deny that Kurt was his date when he saw the color on Kurt's cheeks and caught a glare in the direction of Sherman's hand on his arm. He snapped his mouth shut. Didn't want to hope, but also didn't want to jinx anything either.

It was a ten minute walk to Gramercy Green, and Kurt purposely situated himself between David and Sherman, glancing at them both for a moment before saying something playful about a yellow brick road and grabbing both their arms, locking them at the elbow and announcing that they were out for lions, tigers, and bears.

Dave tightened his arm around Kurt's, chuckling and mentioning that Kurt had already caught a bear, now they just needed some lions and tigers. Sherman laughed a little too loudly, and a little too long, but Dave only had eyes for the blush across Kurt's cheeks. Tonight would be interesting.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

The "party" turned out to be a poster on the door directing them back in the direction they'd come from, to Gramercy Park, where the activities committee had set out hot dogs, chips, soda, and buckets and buckets of water balloons.

Kurt had looked between the boys, Sherman practically plastered to the 'friend' he'd been meeting, a nice enough boy named Jeff, and Dave, who was eyeing the food table. "There's no way I'm getting wet."

Dave looked at him, then back to the food. His stomach rumbled, and he cracked a hopeful smile. "Do you mind if we eat, though? I came straight from practice, and I'm starving." he widened his smile, hoping there was enough adorable left in him to pull it off.

Kurt sighed, looking a little askance at the water balloons, but relented. He couldn't say no to that face. "Yeah, sure. May as well get the free food while it's there. But I don't want to stay too long, if that's alright with you. I don't want to get wet. Seriously."

Dave smiled at him, a full grin this time. "Thanks. C'mon!" Shoring up his courage, he reached for Kurt's hand, cheering inside when Kurt blushed and gripped his hand back, following him to the food table.

Kurt grabbed a plate, taking a hot dog, already in a bun, and adding ketchup and mustard, grabbing a handful of bbq chips and a diet coke, then checking over his shoulder for where Dave was standing balancing his two plates, one of which held five hot dogs, the other a mountain of chips, as he tried to grab a mountain dew. "I got it." He said, taking Dave's soda and moving to a shaded section of the concrete that looked particularly clean.

Dave looked at Kurt with shock, but finally followed him, sitting down beside him, leaning back against a retaining wall, but still covered by the shade. "Thanks."

Kurt smiled. "No problem. How long was practice?"

Dave swallowed his bite, which may or may not have been half a hot dog in itself. "I uh.. it was from nine to twelve thirty today. So it was pretty normal." he cracked open his soda, cursing when it spewed foam just a little.

"Sorry. My bad." Kurt passed him some napkins. "Are you sure 5 is gonna be enough?" There was levity in his tone, so Dave's self consciousness was short lived.

"Well, I'll probably be hungry again in a couple hours, but this is good for now." He gave Kurt a searching look. He tried not to eat in front of other people, especially not people like Kurt, who were lithe and muscular, and probably knew every calorie that entered his body. It was humiliating, just how much food he could inhale, and still be hungry, but with a sport, he was burning thousands of calories every day on the ice, and then there was also the strength training, and the cardio he did outside of practice, and so he could probably out eat a dozen of Kurt, and sometimes he hated it. "It doesn't bother you?"

Kurt snapped his eyes up from his plate, where he'd been toying with his chips. He'd eaten a salad earlier, and had only gotten the hot dog so Dave didn't feel weird, eating in front of him. "Bother me? Oh, you mean..." He nodded to the plate, and when Dave nodded back, his face softened. "Don't forget that Finn's my brother, and Sam Evans lived with us, too. I know how much an athlete has to take in, and that a few salads simply won't cut it. If you ate like I have to, you'd pass out or die or something. So no, it doesn't bother me. Eat all you want. Here, you can have mine, too. I'm already full from lunch, but it's okay." He shrugged, nudging Dave with his shoulder. "Maybe when you're ready for more in a couple hours, I'll be hungry too, okay?"

Dave felt himself relax, eating more slowly and enjoying the breeze as Kurt sipped his soda in companionable silence. They watched the others running around, chasing each other with ice cold missiles. This was nice.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

'Nice' lasted right up until Sherman had the bright idea to tag Kurt. With a water balloon.

Kurt shrieked, tossing his plate of chips in the air and jumping from his seat on the ground. "What the?! SHERMAN YOU ARE DEAD! I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" But he was gone, a thread of laughter in his wake.

Dave's jaw had dropped, and he was desperately trying to hold in his snicker as Kurt wiped at his face, scooping back the hair that was trailing down his forehead.

Kurt's eyes snapped onto him. "Not a _word_, Karofsky."

Dave held up three fingers for scout's honor, but was unable to hold onto a snort as it left his nose.

Kurt stepped forward and upended his soda. Right over Dave's head.

Dave stopped, squeezing his eyes shut as the bubbly liquid washed over him. "What in the actual fuck?"

"Oh my God. I can't believe I did that. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Kurt's hands were over his mouth as he stared at Dave in shock.

"Great, yeah. Now I get to walk half an hour home in wet clothes. Thanks, Kurt. Great party." He stood and gathered up his trash, meaning to make his exit, but Kurt caught him by the arm.

"Listen, I really am so sorry. Look, I've got a shower, and the laundry is right down the hall from my room. We can rinse your shirt out and dry it or something. Please don't go home angry."

Dave stopped and looked at him for a long moment, gauging in his mind whether the discomfort was worth it, and deciding that he'd rather take Kurt up on his offer. It really was his fault, after all. "Yeah, that's fine."

Kurt sighed. "Good. Come on. It's only six blocks."

Dave snorted. "Only."

Kurt elbowed him. "Well at least you're not _soaking_ wet."

Dave glanced back over at Kurt, and snorted a little, not able to help it. "That's true."

Kurt elbowed him again. "Hey."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ Just wanted to make it clear that this is a post-canon au. Assuming Kurt and Blaine break up in 4.03, Kurt is a Sophomore at NYU and single. Dave had his freshman year at another school, then transferred to NYU for his Sophomore year. It's currently Aug/Sept 2013._

Dedicated to Spirated on Tumblr.

**~o0o~o0o~o0o~**

Kurt offered Dave the shower first, providing Sherman's robe, then moving to his dresser. After Dave pulled his red button up off, he awkwardly reached up to pull the shirt over his head, but had to stop with a sharply indrawn breath when he felt a wrench between his neck and shoulder. "Hey, Kurt." He opened the door to the bathroom, giving him a sheepish look. "Do you think you could do me a favor?"

Kurt looked up, tilting his head in question. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

Dave stuttered a little. "I- um.. well." he grumbled under his breath. "Goddamn it." He looked up at Kurt determinedly. "I can't get my shirt off. I think I might've pulled something at practice. Do you think you could give me a hand?"

Kurt froze for a second before nodding mutely. He moved forward, pausing in front of Dave, then deciding that undressing one man was probably the same as undressing the next, and he'd done this before. He shored up his courage, and reached for the bottom of the t-shirt, pulling it up gently and tugging it carefully up around Dave's shoulders, helped a little by Dave bending forward, then stretching the wet fabric over his hair, then dragging it down over his incredible arms.

Dave stood, taking the shirt from Kurt and stepping back. "Thanks. A lot." He smiled a little, then moved back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Kurt was left standing in the center of the room, staring at the closed door. He felt as if his skin were too tight, his whole body hot and bothered. To say that Dave's clothes were... unflattering... was a major understatement. His chest and arms were incredible, and the soft padding of his belly only slightly hid the strength of his core. Kurt had a momentary flash of all the things that Dave could use that strength for, especially when combined with Kurt's own flexibility. He flushed, and felt himself harden. He palmed himself, groaning out loud. He wasn't going to be able to wish this one down.

He sat down at his desk, adjusting himself uncomfortably as he opened his laptop, pulling up facebook and desperately opening his Dad's page and looking at family pictures, and sure enough, his body was under control by the time Dave cracked the door, letting steam into the bedroom.

"Hey, I'm done. Did you want to shower?"

Kurt looked up and flushed when he caught sight of Dave's bare feet and calves. He looked away. "No, but I'll change in there, then I can take your stuff to the laundry." Grabbing his clothes, he escaped into the bathroom, wishing it took him longer to change clothes, but it was late summer, and far too hot for the several layers he preferred.

Kurt collected Dave's clothes, nodding when Dave said he'd already rinsed them, and took the quick trip down the hall to the communal laundry room. He was back quickly, scowling softly at Dave's obvious discomfort as he sat in Sherman's desk chair. "Are you going to be able to see someone for that?"

Dave tried to soften his expression, but wasn't entirely successful. "It's alright. I'll be able to see the PT guy on Monday. No big deal."

Kurt's scowl grew more pronounced. "So you're just going to suffer for the next two days?"

Dave tried to shrug, but sucked in a hard breath at the sudden shot of pain it caused. "I'll be fine."

Kurt shook his head, decided. "Hang on. I've got some massage lotion here somewhere." He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, returning with a white bottle in his hands, coming around behind the chair. "Open up."

Dave gave him a confused look. "Open what?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "The robe, genius. I'm gonna help you out with your neck. My Dad used to play baseball when I was growing up and he'd randomly pull a muscle, and I'd massage it out, and I used to do it for Finn, too, when he was in football in high school, too. I actually took a couple classes at the community center when I was younger, so I know what I'm doing. So just open it up so I can work on your neck."

Dave was frozen for a minute, but then his hands moved slowly to the tie at his waist. Tugging gently, he felt Kurt push the fabric down off his shoulders, and then help him pull his arms out of it, since he was still very tense, even after the shower.

Kurt took a bracing breath, rubbing the lotion in his hands to warm it, before laying his hands on Dave's exposed neck. There was a gasp from Dave, but he tried to concentrate on the weight of his muscles, gently seeking out and finding the tense lines beneath the skin. He began to work the muscle, pressing in with his fingers, pulling and stretching at the knots.

Dave bit back a moan, wincing as Kurt's talented hands made the pain worse, and then as the spasm eased, soothed to make it better. He let out a sigh, feeling the muscles of his arm and back fall lax, his head rolling forward on his neck, feeling nearly boneless.

Kurt rubbed gently at Dave's neck, gently now, and glanced at the clock. Dave's clothes had been in the dryer for 40 minutes, and were probably dry. "You should lie down while I check the dryer. It'll probably help that." Without thinking, Kurt leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Dave's head before heading out, not even realizing what he'd done until he was in the hallway. He stopped walking, suddenly feeling very self conscious. Seeing another student down the hall, he moved quickly, gathering Dave's clothes and returning to his room.

Dave had stretched across Kurt's bed, face planted into the pillow as he tried to gather his strength for the walk home. He was starting to get hungry again, and it was a thirty minute walk, so he needed to get moving. He smiled at Kurt, noting the seemingly ever present blush he was wearing, and thanked him, gathering his clothes and moving to the bathroom. Though his arm was still stiff, he was able to pull his shirt on by himself this time.

They stood facing each other for a moment, both silent, before Kurt looked up. "I guess you're gonna head out, then?"

Dave nodded. "May as well. I have some homework I could do."

Kurt moved to the door, holding it open and standing to the side, debating whether he should ask Dave to get something to eat. He'd mentioned that he'd have to eat in a few hours, and Kurt was starting to get hungry himself. He was expecting Dave to pause by the door, or to just walk past and say goodbye in passing, and so was caught completely off guard when Dave swept him into a snug hug, speaking softly into his hair, "Thanks for today. So much." As he pulled away, he hesitated for a second before pressing dry lips to Kurt's cheek in a barely there kiss, and then he was gone.

Kurt couldn't breathe. It was like electricity, having Dave's arms around him, and then the soft words, and the kiss that would soon feel like a hallucination rather than a memory. Realizing that Dave had left without a word from him, he glanced around him, coming to his senses before rushing down the hall, stopping at the stairwell, seeing Dave a flight down, and calling out. "David!" When he stopped and glanced up, a questioning smile on his face, Kurt had to fight down the butterflies inside his ribcage. "There's this pizza place down the street, and heard they make a mean pie. You hungry?"

Dave smiled, looking down for a second before looking up to meet Kurt's wide eyes again. "I'd love to."


	3. Chapter 3

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Dave had just gotten to Kurt's building when a familiar figure was leaving, and he stopped dead.

"David? Ooohh!" Sherman cooed at Dave, nearly jumping in place in excitement. "I didn't know you were Kurt's wednesday. Not that he has that many dates, but seriously, two in a row is pretty epic, and I was ordered to leave, and OMG here," he caught the door, holding it open for Dave. "Go on up. You should surprise him. No, don't look nervous, it'll be fine. Just tell him I let you in." He grinned and slapped Dave on the shoulder as he passed through the doors, laughing out loud. He hummed as he walked away, and Dave just made out a faint "_Somebody's gonna get lucky..._" before the door shut between them.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Kurt was dancing across his room, harmonizing along with Kelly Clarkson coming from his phone where it was perched on the desk, plugged in and sitting in a bowl to maximize the volume, (a trick he'd learned from Sherman,) and was just deciding on which lightweight scarf he'd wear from the pile spread on his bed, belting out the chorus of 'I want you'. There was a clearing throat in the doorway, and he turned with a raised eyebrow, not bothering to stop dancing until he realized just who it was. He froze, his hands tightening on the silk in his hands. "DAVID! You're early!" He looked down at the scarf in his hands, eyes going to the pile on his bed, and he felt a flush rising to his cheeks. "I, uh... I was just finishing getting ready..." He looked back up, and caught Dave's fond grin, and his nerves immediately began to ease. "How did you even get in?" His forehead creased in thought.

Dave smiled genuinely, wanting to set Kurt at ease. "Sherman. I passed him downstairs and he insisted. I hope that's alright." He looked down, slightly sheepish.

"That's fine, I just wondered." Kurt realized that Dave was still standing mostly in the hallway. "You can come in! I mean, you don't have to stand there. I was just finishing up-" He moved to the scarves, wishing he had it in himself to bunch them up and toss them into the closet, but the thought of treating silk that way made him cringe internally, so he settled for stacking them in a neat-ish pile and moving it to the desk. "You wouldn't tell me where we were going, so I wasn't sure..."

"The blue paisley is nice." Dave grinned, feeling his cheeks getting warm. "I mean, it's not really a surprise, you'll figure it out once we hit the subway, so I can just tell you." He looked up, a self deprecating expression on his face. "It's just the ferry, and there's this frozen yogurt place, and I figured we could look up someplace to eat on yelp or something after..."

Kurt grinned, pleased. "I like that. I've wanted to do the ferry, but it's something I haven't had a chance to do since my junior year of high school when we were here for a glee competition." He nodded at Dave, reaching back into the pile for the blue paisley scarf. "Alright, I've just gotta grab my wallet and shoes and we can go."

Dave smiled and nodded in return, settling into Sherman's desk chair to wait. Kurt disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a messenger bag, tucking a wallet into his pocket. He set the bag aside to reach into his closet for a pair of shoes, and Dave had to bite down on the inside of his cheek when he saw which ones he'd chosen. They were knee high black boots that laced up. Kurt had owned them in high school, and they had factored into a good number of his fantasies then, and in the time since. He made a small noise, couldn't help it, and blushed furiously when Kurt looked up at him, searching.

"Is anything wrong?" He noticed the direction of Dave's eyes, and as he tugged the top of the boot straight so he could finish zipping it, he watched Dave's face tighten. "What's- OH MY GOD." He blushed to the roots of his hair, getting a small bit of intuition about Dave's train of thought.

Dave stood suddenly, pacing by Sherman's bed, breathing deeply through his nose. "I'm sorry. I just... you had those boots in high school and I just... I'm sorry." He rubbed his hands over his face, breathing out through his mouth, growling a little.

At the growl, Kurt had to hide his reaction. He was really starting to wonder where exactly Dave's mind had gone at the sight of his boots, but couldn't bring himself to ask. He stood, settling his feet in them, and reached for his bag, grabbing his phone and shutting off the music. "Let's get out of here." He was sympathetic to Dave, but not enough to change his shoes, and he realized his own motivation with a feeling of wickedness as Dave moved to let Kurt lock the door behind them, his eyes going helplessly to the boots.

Dave sighed, following Kurt down the stairs, and bit his tongue. This was going to be a very long day.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

It was surprisingly fun. Once they were out of Kurt's deliciously scented dorm room and in the semi-stagnant air of the subway, he had himself under control. They took the N south to the ferry stop, then had about fifteen minutes to wait for departure. The time was spent in conversation, about classes, mutual acquaintances, college life, and visits home to Lima. Dave told Kurt about how his step mom had seen the way his real mother had reacted when he'd been forcefully outed, and had decided to pick up the slack, going to far as to corner his Mother at the grocery store parking lot and tell her what an awful human being she was for trying to pressure her son into conversion therapy. After that, Dave had had a few select holiday visits with his Mom, but had been informed in very small words that if he wanted to be with her, that he needed to be right with Jesus, and that had been the last he'd seen or heard from her. He was still facebook friends with her, but had hidden her from his feed. He didn't need to see every "Jesus Saves" post she liked and forwarded, but couldn't cut that last tie with her.

Georgie, his step-mom, the one who'd called the ambulance when... but he didn't talk about that. She'd set him down, took his hand across the dining room table, and had told him honestly that she'd never wanted children, and that even still she couldn't see herself happily bearing babies, but then she'd choked up, gripping Dave's hand tightly, and said that he made her wish she'd met his father earlier in his life so she could know him and be there for his growing up years. She'd shushed him when he tried to respond, and said simply that she would feel honored to stand with him at his wedding, and hoped that he found a man who made him blissfully happy, the way Paul made her.

Dave had cried, sobbing into Georgie's shoulder for a long time, and she'd just held him, letting him unleash on her, and whispering to him how proud she was to be his 'almost Mom'. Ever since then, he'd called her Mom, and the first time she'd lost it herself, had cried and told him that she'd never wanted that title, but for Dave, she'd take it, and like it. She'd winked through her tears, and smugly stated that maybe one day, she'd even get to be Grandma, but only for Dave. Dave had blushed, and shaken his head fondly.

He told Kurt all of this, and Kurt murmured consolingly when Dave got choked up, and reached out to hold his hand during the tough parts. When he explained about Georgie, Kurt had softened even further, declaring that if he ever met this Georgie, the woman wouldn't escape his hugs. Dave had grinned, and said that she'd like Kurt.

Kurt had talked about how Finn had come home from the army, and had gone back to the shop like Burt had wanted him to do, and how he'd been taking community college classes while taking more and more responsibility in the family business, which Kurt was all too eager to pass on, since he had no interest in inheriting his father's 'baby' at all. He talked about how he and 'hairgel' had broken up, and the heartbreak and growth that resulted, the way he felt at home in the city, and how he never wanted to live anywhere else.

They talked about mutual acquaintances from high school, about the New Directions, and the football players. Dave told Kurt about Azimio's football scholarship in Memphis, how happy he'd been, and how he'd apologized a month after the 'incident' and had begged Dave's forgiveness and for his friendship back. Kurt told Dave about how Puck had moved to Las Vegas and was now a stage dancer, and quite successful. Sam had decided to go to college near his parents.

Once they exhausted their supply of common high school friends, they sat outside the little frozen yogurt place, Kurt's cheesecake flavored and piled high with berries and chocolate, Dave's vanilla with raspberries on top. Kurt had given him a raised eyebrow, but Dave had just smiled and said that he liked simple things.

They ate quietly, simply enjoying one another's company, watching as people passed them, hurrying to and from this place and that. It was one of Dave's favorite things about the city, and Kurt agreed with a hum, scraping his dish for the last bite, sad to see it empty, but relishing the pleasant fullness of his belly. "You want to play a game?"

Dave smiled, looking to Kurt with a raised brow. "I'm not always great at games. What did you have in mind?" He was only halfway through his dish, wanting to eat more slowly and savor his time with Kurt.

"So it's not really a game so much as... well, I don't know what to call it, so it'll just stay a game." He laughed softly, motioning to a woman passing by with a briefcase, speaking to someone, obviously using her bluetooth. "Okay, so she's wearing worn sneakers, so obviously she's not a CEO, but she's got an important job." He hummed, looking her over from behind, as she'd made her way to the end of the street. "She's late, and forgot her work shoes at home, so she's hurrying to get back, so she can make this meeting, and she's telling the office grunt to stall for her, since she doesn't have her own assistant, and she needs to get this account to pay tuition for her kids' expensive 'french immersion' schooling."

He looked to Dave, smiling. He motioned to a man sitting with his little boy in the window of the yogurt shop. "Wanna try?"

Dave grinned, looking at the pair, and let his imagination go. "He's uh... I don't know if I can do this, Kurt..."

Kurt smiled, leaning his shoulder against Dave's, adding support with the touch. "You can do this. It can be silly, or dumb, or anything. It's just a game, right?" He inhaled, loving the scent of Dave, his skin, his laundry detergent, and his aftershave, mixing with the raspberry and vanilla he was currently ingesting. It was an intoxicating blend, but then that might just be Dave and how close he was. Kurt shook himself, coming back to the moment.

Dave sighed around his last bite, thinking hard. "He's uh... The Dad usually has work, but he got vacation for the little boy's birthday, and then the kid's Mom had to do something, like with work or something, and so he took him out to yogurt just the two of them, and later the three are having a party with friends and family, and Grandma's going to come over with a cake, and there will be candles and presents, and..." Dave went silent.

Kurt looked up from where he'd been zoned out on their shoes, letting himself concentrate on Dave's words. "Wha-" He trailed off as he followed Dave's gaze over to the window where another man had just walked up. A small squeal that couldn't be heard, but could be seen through the glass, and the little boy jumped up into the man's arms, and the first man stood, intercepting a kiss over the child's shoulder, adding himself to the hug. Kurt turned, looking Dave full in the face for his reaction, and had to bite down his emotions at the tear he caught running down one broad cheek. "Are you alright?"

Dave nodded, wiping at the wetness with his shoulder, trying to play it off as a shrug. "I'm good."

Kurt nudged him. "You can talk to me." The words sounded ridiculous to Kurt's ears. They'd done nothing but talk all day, and if Dave wanted to talk, he would, but then he saw the grateful look from Dave and decided that he didn't mind repeating the offer over and over if it earned him looks like that.

Dave pulled in a deep breath. "I just assumed, in my head, that it would be a _woman_ and a man with a kid." He paused, clearing his throat, his emotions rising up again. "But it's not, and that's... that's really awesome." He sniffed hard, tightening down on his reactions.

Kurt reached out, tangling their fingers together. "You know that can be you someday, David." He went with his impulse, reaching over and tugging Dave's face to his, pressing a small kiss to his lips before drawing away. "It _will_ be you."

Dave caught himself staring at Kurt's lips, and moved his gaze to meet Kurt's. "What about you?" Not realizing what that could sound like until after he'd said it, he was saved from feeling like a total ass by Kurt's answer.

He grinned, tightening his fingers around Dave's. "It'll be me too, someday." he stood, tugging at Dave's hand. "Now, I believe you owe me some dinner, buddy. I saw a thai place that looked pretty good."

"Oh, I owe you dinner, huh?" he grinned, following along, wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist.

Kurt looked up at him, his flirtatiousness falling away. "Well, I think you might owe me a football game too, but we've got a couple years to go first."

Dave nearly stumbled when he realized what Kurt was referring to, a flash of memory of the sickly sweet smell of hospital cleaner and floral arrangements, Kurt in ultra tight pants and Dave in a loose hospital gown. "You think so?"

Kurt looked up, eyes gone watery. "Yeah, I kinda do."

~o0o~o0o~o0o~


	4. Chapter 4

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Kurt had never been to a hockey game before, and since he knew nothing about the game, and google only helped so much, he'd had to make a call. To his Dad. He'd tried playing it off, acting as though he'd just randomly become interested in the sport, but Burt had just laughed and said how he'd done re-con in his day to learn about things a girl liked so he didn't look like a moron.

Kurt had sighed and admitted that his interest in ice hockey may or may not be motivated by a certain player he'd met, and then promptly wanted to die when Burt had made an approving noise and given him a gruff "You get 'em, Tiger."

The call turned out to be a success though, and he now felt much better equipped as a spectator to the NYU Violets. He turned himself out in the warmest season appropriate clothing, complete with fabulous purple scarf, and made his way to the arena. After finding among the sea of black and purple, he didn't have long to wait until their team came sliding out onto the ice, holding their helmets as their names were called out by the announcer, and Kurt had to control a gape of astonishment. These guys were nothing like the mulleted puck heads of William McKinley High School. He may have a personal tendre for a certain bear cub, but the rest of the team were pretty fantastic looking as well, though it was difficult to get a read on their physical form beneath the massive jerseys.

The game was fast, and more painful to watch than he had expected, especially when Dave went face first into the plexi-glass enclosure, though, compared to the other team, was fairly few and far between. He found himself on his feet more than once with the rest of the crowd, shouting and cheering, and at one point, turning to get a double high five from a girl who looked to be around ten years old, sitting next to him.

The game was an incredible success, New York beating Boston 5-1, and their side of the stadium erupting in euphoria.

Kurt asked his new friend (whose name turned out to be Kayla) where to find the locker room exit to meet the players was, and she'd grinned and grabbed his hand, turning to her parents and announcing that she was going to take him down. She'd informed him that her brother was on the team, and she would show him the way. He'd given her parent's an unsure look, but Kayla had just rolled her eyes and informed him that they didn't care what she did, and to _come on already_. So he'd followed behind, tugged by the hand, down the ramp and was getting ready to stand on the outskirts of the crowd when Kayla gave him an incredulous look and forcibly pulled him through to the front of the crowd. They didn't have to wait long. The first of the players, hair dripping from recent showers, started exiting the room, grinning at the victory cheer, and they, along with the crowd, started dispersing.

When Kayla's brother came out, she'd introduced them and told Kurt that she'd see him next game, and left him standing in the hallway, only a handful of people remaining. He pulled out his phone, flicking through his apps, but his attention wasn't really on it, so when Dave walked out, Kurt noticed immediately. He was flanked by his teammates, two burly guys who clapped him on the back and headed for the hall's other occupants.

Dave made his way to Kurt, surprise on his face. "What are you doing here? Did you watch the game?"

Kurt struck a sassy pose. "Of course I watched the game! Are you kidding?" He looked Dave up and down, blushing slightly as he took in the still damp tendrils of hair at his temples and neck, the way his arms bulged under his short sleeves as he hefted his sports bag over his shoulder. "You were incredible. Well, as far as the ten year old girl who I sat next to said, you were. From where I was sitting, it looked really brutal, but she assured me that you were awesome."

Dave grinned, moving towards the other end of the hallway, Kurt falling in beside him. He wanted to put his arm around Kurt's shoulders, but he didn't know if it was too soon for that, and he was hesitant, but then Kurt grinned at him and bumped him with his shoulder, sliding into his personal space as they walked, and Dave gave him a fuck all grin, sliding an arm around Kurt's waist. When Kurt reached up and set his hand on Dave's, Dave halfway expected him to remove Dave's grip, but when he just tucked his fingers between Dave's and leaned further into his side, Dave did a mental fist pump of victory.

When they made it to the street, Dave glanced both directions, then looked to Kurt. "Where to? The guys are all going drinking, but I'm really not in the mood. Unless you are, of course. Then we could go to the bar, but I don't know if it's really your scene, or whatever. But it's up to you-"

Kurt squeezed Dave's hand in his own, saving him from himself by shutting him up. "Sherman's out of town, and my room is empty. I also have a six pack of Pumpkin Ale in my dorm fridge, and I hear I give a hell of a massage."

Dave grinned, hiking his bag back up onto his shoulder, and running his thumb over Kurt's. "So to your place, then."

"Good plan."

~o0o~o0o~o0o~


End file.
